Birding Pembroke Gardens

I woke up early this morning, funny how beer does that to me, and decided to take a walk around the gardens of Pembroke College (the college in Cambridge University where I am studying). It is the first really bright sunny day since I've arrived, and man does it get chilly without the cloud cover! My first bird of the day was a European robin, which might possibly be my favorite bird at the moment. They look as if someone picked up a drab brown bird, and dipped the head and chest in rust-colored paint - so cute! I spooked up a wood pigeon, who was as uncooperative for the camera as the robin had been.

Moving toward the library, I encountered tit calls, which after being distracted by some male and female blackbirds on the lawn, I discovered were blue tits feeding and behaving like bushtits do back home. This time the camera was uncooperative, I had managed to push a button without realizing it, and none of my gorgeous, out in the open, feeling and preening blue tit shots came out....

Next a carrion crow called as it flew over, and trailing behind it was a new lifer for me - gray heron!! I was too busy staring to snap a photo of him either, I'm embarassed to be calling myself a photographer at this point ;-) The chill drove me inside to wait until the sun reached into the garden to warm me, guess I should go buy myself a Cambridge University sweatshirt like every other tourist in the town at the moment. I am loving being here more than I can even convey - new birds, gorgeous gardens, incredible architecture, buildings older than my country - and did I mention the accents?!?